


When the World Doesn't End

by Bookworm1063



Category: The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:14:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24812149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bookworm1063/pseuds/Bookworm1063
Summary: What happens after Alec and Magnus decide to get back together. Takes place literally right after that scene in CoHF.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Kudos: 69





	When the World Doesn't End

Alec and Magnus sat on the roof until the sun had disappeared behind the rooftops of Alicante, and Alec spotted his father, making his way up the street. He ducked back in through the window, dragging Magnus after him.

“I’d rather not explain what I was doing on the roof to my parents,” he said.

Magnus grinned, his cat’s eyes sparkling in the low light. “I’d rather be in here, anyway.”

Alec reached for Magnus’s hand, twisting their fingers together.

“I didn’t say it before,” Alec murmured, not meeting Magnus’s eyes. “I love you.” It was still hard for him to say it, even after everything, but he wanted to. It was true.

Magnus brushed his free hand along Alec’s cheek, smoothing his hair out of his eyes. “And I love you.”

Alec tilted his head to kiss Magnus, freeing his hand to wrap both arms around his boyfriend’s waist. Magnus’s hands tangled in Alec’s hair, played with the collar of his sweater.

Downstairs, a door slammed open. Voices echoed up through the floor.

Alec reluctantly disentangled himself from Magnus, listening. There were footsteps on the stairs, doors closing down the hall, and then silence.

“Will you stay?” Alec asked softly.

“Of course,” Magnus replied.

Alec pulled Magnus back towards him, kissing him the way he’d dreamed of doing, all those weeks back in New York.

He loved him. And he’d missed him. And it had been so long.

Magnus traced his fingers along the strip of skin just above the waistband of Alec’s jeans, and he stopped thinking.

o-o-o-o-o

Alec sat bolt upright in bed, the nightmare still rattling his nerves. For a moment, he wasn’t sure where he was.

Slowly, it came back to him- the dream first, in fragments; Edom, Izzy dying, Magnus dead, Jace calling for him, Simon and Clary trapped. The face of Asmodeus, looming above them all. Sebastian Morgenstern’s black eyes. Demons against a red sky. A pair of chains, sunk into rock.

Then his surroundings; the rumpled sheets, clothes strewn across his bedroom floor, Magnus asleep next to him.

Alec took a deep breath. His hand wandered across the sheets automatically, reaching for Magnus.

Their fingers brushed, and Magnus stirred. His eyes opened. Alec wondered if he’d even been asleep in the first place.

“Alec?” Magnus sat up, reaching for Alec. Alec leaned into his side and closed his eyes, breathing in the familiar smell of sandalwood. Magnus rubbed circles into his back with his thumb.

“Nightmare?” he asked, and Alec nodded.

“Me, too,” Magnus said softly. Alec knew what it meant for Magnus to admit it, something that made him seem a little more vulnerable than usual.

“When you were in Edom,” Alec said quietly, “I thought- I’m a Shadowhunter. Death is a part of our lives. Every time we go on a mission, I know this could be it. One of my siblings, or Clary, or me. But I never thought it would be you. I thought, if someone I loved was in danger, I could be there to watch their back. But I couldn’t be there for you, and I never thought I’d have to worry about you…. dying before me.”

For a moment, Magnus was silent, just tracing those circles across Alec’s back. Then he said, “I’ve known a lot of fear. But I’ve never been as scared as I was when I realized you’d come after me.”

Alec’s eyes widened in surprise. “I was just…” He almost said _doing my job_ , but Shadowhunters never trained for the demon realms.

“Every night,” Magnus admitted, “I see that place, and I see you, but this time, you don’t make it out.”

“But we did,” Alec said. He wasn’t great with words, so he wrapped his arms around Magnus, shifting so that they were holding each other, leaning back against the headboard. “We did.”

“I thought I was supposed to be comforting you.”

Alec laughed, and Magnus rested his head against Alec’s chest.

o-o-o-o-o

The next time Alec woke up, it was morning. The room was filled with sunlight.

Magnus was already awake, watching him, combing his fingers through Alec’s hair. Alec closed his eyes again.

“I know you’re awake,” Magnus said.

“I’m not,” Alec said, his voice muffled by the pillow.

Magnus leaned over and kissed Alec lightly. Alec reached up to pull him closer, and things might have progressed the way they had last night if Alec’s stomach hadn’t growled, reminding him how long it had been since he’d last eaten.

Magnus rolled off him and climbed to his feet. “Breakfast.”

Alec sighed and got up, rummaging through the dresser drawers for a clean sweater and a pair of jeans.

“Here,” he said, handing Magnus a tee shirt. “If we’re going downstairs, you’re putting a shirt on.”

o-o-o-o-o

They made their way to the kitchen, fully dressed and hand in hand. Alec’s clothes were baggy on Magnus’s slimmer frame, and since Magnus was slightly taller, everything was that tiniest bit too short. Alec thought it was adorable. Magnus had already pointed out his boyfriend’s lack of style three times.

“Morning,” Jace said as Alec entered the room. Isabelle was sitting next to him, nursing a cup of tea and pointedly ignoring Robert, who was making toast. “Oh. Well, well, well.” Jace looked like the cat who had caught the canary, and Alec was never going to hear the end of this. What had he been thinking? And why had his father chosen today, of all days, to not rush to the Gard first thing in the morning?

“Hi,” Alec said.

Isabelle was looking back and forth from Alec to Magnus, a smile spreading across her face. Alec felt kind of guilty; she’d just lost Simon, and here he was, walking into the kitchen at nine in the morning with his boyfriend. But she looked nothing less than thrilled.

“I’m glad you both finally decided to stop being idiots,” she said. “Alec was miserable for _weeks_ -”

“Okay, Izzy,” Alec cut her off.

Meanwhile, Robert was clearly still struggling to process the situation. “Magnus Bane,” he said. “I don’t remember inviting you in.”

“You didn’t,” Magnus said cheerfully. “Is there more of that?” He gestured to Isabelle’s mug of tea.

“Absolutely.” Isabelle gestured towards the kettle, and Magnus magicked up two more cups. He passed one over to Alec.

“I’m sorry,” Robert said. He didn’t sound sorry at all. He sounded irritated, and slightly awkward. “What, exactly, are you doing in my house?”

Alec wanted to slam his head against a wall.

“Please don’t answer that,” he said, before Magnus or one of his siblings could say something terrible. “We’re leaving now.” He set his cup of tea down on the kitchen table.

Izzy and Jace sprang to their feet. “See you later,” Jace said, scooping up his leather jacket from where it had been hanging over the back of his chair. “I’m going to Clary’s.”

“Me too,” Izzy said. It was clear none of them wanted to be alone with Robert, and Alec couldn’t blame them.

The four of them made their way out of the house and down the street, Magnus and Alec hand in hand. Isabelle glanced back over her shoulder at them.

“So, how did this happen? Spill.”

Alec shrugged.

“Turns out, a trip to a hell dimension can really change your perspective on things,” Magnus said.

Jace nodded thoughtfully and clapped Alec on the shoulder. “I’m happy for you.”

“So am I,” Izzy said. Alec met her eyes. There was still pain there, and Alec hated it. The thing he hated most about it was that there was nothing he could do.

“Thanks,” Alec said.

Isabelle and Jace dropped behind, probably intentionally. Magnus and Alec went on ahead, still hand in hand.

“I know we literally just got back together,” Magnus said. “But once we go back to New York, how would you feel about moving in?”

Alec looked up, startled. “I- yeah. Sure. I’d like that.”

Magnus smiled, and Alec squeezed Magnus’s hand in his own, twisting their fingers closer together.

In a few days, the Lightwoods would return to New York, and Alec would have to explain that he was moving out of the Institute so he could go live with his warlock boyfriend. He was not looking forward to having that conversation with his parents.

But today, the sun was shining, he was holding hands with the love of his life, his siblings weren’t in immediate danger of dying, and the world wasn’t ending. Alec was determined to enjoy it while it lasted.


End file.
